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Nearly one in five school sessions in England were missed by pupils at the height of last month’s heatwave, new figures suggest.

The pupil absence rate was an estimated 18.4 per cent on 26 June, the day temperatures peaked at 37.7C, and parts of the country were covered by a rare “red” warning for extreme heat.

The absence rate measures the proportion of school sessions missed in state-funded schools, where one session equals half a day.

Data published by the Department for Education shows the rate rose steadily during the week of the June heatwave.

An estimated 6.8 per cent of sessions were missed on 22 June, a further 7.4 per cent were missed on 23 June, 12.6 per cent on 24 June and 16.2 per cent on 25 June, before hitting 18.4 per cent on 26 June.

This is the highest daily absence rate so far during the 2025-26 academic year.

Pupils urged to attend school during heatwave

More than a quarter of schools closed early during the week, according to polling seen by ����Vlog.

And over 1,000 schools either closed or partially closed on the Thursday and Friday of that week, according to figures compiled at the time by the Press Association.

Many schools cited the red weather warning and hot conditions as reasons for shutting their doors, with some explaining that classrooms lacked air conditioning and that travel to and from the premises could be risky in the high temperatures.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson had urged parents to send children to school if they remained open, warning that “every day of absence and lesson missed has a cost”.

Sector leaders strongly criticised a message from the DfE sent to schools that closed, calling it “thoughtless and patronising”.

The DfE contacted schools last week with questions regarding why schools closed to help it inform future guidance.

The figure of 18.4 per cent covers both authorised and unauthorised absences.

Some 11.4 per cent of sessions on 26 June were missed due to authorised absence - where pupils had permission not to attend school - while 7 per cent were missed through unauthorised absence.

Third of special school pupils absent on one day

The DfE data also shows the estimated absence rate for primary schools on 26 June was 17.4 per cent, with 19.3 per cent for secondary schools and 32.5 per cent for special schools.

A DfE spokesperson said: “Hot weather can be a struggle, but the vast majority of schools have done a fantastic job keeping children learning safely during the recent heatwave, and this is continuing through this week.

“Schools are putting measures in place, so they remain the best place for children to be, even during a heatwave.

“Where schools remained open, nine in 10 pupils attended as normal, as teachers pulled out all the stops to keep classrooms cool and children learning.

“Every day in school counts - whether it’s vital water safety lessons ahead of the summer holiday or getting ready to hit the ground running in September - so as we head towards the end of term, our ask of teachers, parents and children is to keep doing what you’re doing, and get yourself into school.”